I’ve Never Met a Blueberry I Didn’t Love

Blueberry consumption (and production) in the US has skyrocketed since 1995. from just 1 pound of blueberries a year in the 1990’s, today the average American consumes nearly 5 pounds of blueberries. Of course, averages are a lie, because I personally eat about 3 million blueberries each summer.

As an American, I am proud to let you know that blueberries are a native Northeast plant. Made in America, baby!!

There are 2 types of blueberries grown in the USA – highbush and wild (lowbush). The highbush berries are big and pretty and served mostly fresh – yummy. Wild blueberries are smaller and mostly used in food preparation, especially my blueberry muffins and pancakes.

July is national Blueberry Month, and is peak season for my little blue friends. This is why these precious babies are most affordable now. Not to mention that their flavor is incomparable. The season begins in May and lasts until early Fall. I get withdrawal symptoms in September.

I was surprised to learn that blueberries are only blue on the outside, and that their flesh is actually green. The blue tinted skin is an indication of the presence of anthocyanins, a set of powerful antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of cancer. Woot!

As you can probably tell, I’m a big fan of blueberries. They are my go to snack. Not only do they taste great, they are very low in calories – just 40 calories for a half-cup serving. I’m a lean, mean blueberry guzzling machine.

My wife is a dietitian, and she asked me to throw in the following information about Blueberries, which I will sum up as follows: BBs are a nutrition powerhouses. A half-cup serving of blueberries has 25% of the recommended daily value for vitamin C and manganese, as well as 4 grams of fiber (15% of the daily recommended intake).